If the girls want to stand in the audience and wave there signs, have at it. I dont care, that's an individual expressing her beliefs.... BUT.. When its a school sponsored even and cheerleaders and waving the sign to the audience THAT is a violation of the law... If these cheerleaders waved signs quoting Buddha the crowd would go apeshiat... The law is not to protect the majority, its to protect the minority...

There are very few things that I find more obnoxious than religious US High School kids. Take all the attitude, rightitude, misdirectitude, stupititude that US teenagers bring to the table and mix it up with a sense of religiousitude and you get a horrible, horrible concoction.

profplump:Pinko_Commie: LOL Whut? Is there a Federal Bureau of Handwritten Religious Signs who's giving them to cheerleaders?

Or are the Federal Cheerleaders?

Are state and local governments now allowed to endorse a religion?

Excuse my ignorance, but how is a Cheerleading squad at all related to state and local government? It seems like it is a personal choice of these cheerleaders to want to use signs with bible quotations on them. So unless there is some sort of government mandate saying that they must display religious quotations I do not see how this is government endorsement of religion in any way.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

As an atheist, I say meh... This is trivial crap for anyone to care about... How are a bunch of cheerleaders waving religious banners a government endorsement of religion? Especially when we've apparently all decided that our money having "In God we trust" written on it, and having "one nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance is not a government endorsement of religion... (And, no, those don't really bother me much, either...) Hell, I wouldn't even care if it were teachers and the principal waving the farking banners... As long as they aren't forcing everyone to do so against their will, who gives a shiat? The atheist kids will feel "uncomfortable" not fitting in? Give me a break... They better get used to it, because that's life as an atheist... If you want to fit in, pretend to believe the same bullshiat as the rest of the in-crowd... Don't worry, most of them don't really believe it either, they're just going along to fit in, too...

For those people who aren't familiar with the passage (Most of the Bible Beaters you meet....)5 "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

8 "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

Rufus Lee King:My point is, despite all this foolishness, is that the girls can say whatever they want to on their banners.

It's none of your business, nor mine.

Seems quite simple enough.

Indeed, it is quite simple, up to the point that the non-Christian girl wants to join the squad. She's pretty, athletic, a talented dancer and gymnast, and would be perfect, except she doesn't want to hold a Jesus sign. Does she get ignored at tryouts? Is she excluded solely because she's not an evangelical? Because it's a public school, and thus a state-sponsored activity which should have no requirement for religious participation. I suppose if individual girls wanted to hold a Jesus sign, or perhaps two or three wanted to, that'd be fine, but I just can't see it being OK to require a girl to play along.

For that matter, making the whole football team run through a Jesus sign, that shiat just can't be right.

Here's the usual test for such things: Put some Koran verse up there and see how it flies. Have one Muslim kid on the squad and do some Mohammad thing for him, you know, to encourage and strengthen him. See how the rest of the club likes it.

Dr. Whoof:Joe Blowme: PallMall: Joe Blowme: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

So where is the violation?

You passed right over it.

I am unfamilar with this new law congress passed? Can you give a link? I'd like to see how it was voted on and why Obama signed it.

Wow, you're a special kind of stupid, aren't you?

Yes, i can actually read and belive in free speech... but its not stupid to claim congress passed a law about these cheerleaders? Nice

Happy Hours:miscreant: If the cheerleaders were fans sitting in the stands who brought their own home written signs to the game, there would be no problem. The problem is that as cheerleaders for the team, their actions can be viewed as endorsed by the school, and thus the government.

I don't see it as any different from a graduation speech where the student making the speech references their religion.

Of course, you probably object to that too.

If those cheerleaders want to get together away from the game, and scream GOD HATES TEH GHEY, or whatever else, that's perfectly fine with me. But at a football game, where the school, the football field, the cheerleader uniforms, the game itself is publicly-funded? Paint "Allahu Akhbar" on the goalposts, and then I'll accept your free speech bona fides. Otherwise, I tihnk you're limited in your unlimited support of free speech.

Happy Hours:I don't see it as any different from a graduation speech where the student making the speech references their religion.

Of course, you probably object to that too.

It's really less about what I'd object to, especially since I'm Canadian and we don't have the establishment clause, than what your courts would object to.

Schools tend to be in a tricky place down there. They don't want to be seen as endorsing religion, because that will get them sued, but they don't want to stifle free speech either.

The question would be, what if there is a cheerleader in there who is not Christian, or who doesn't feel comfortable making these kind of religious expressions in public. Is she then being pressured into religious activity she doesn't agree with to remain on the team? Will new recruits have to be willing to hold up religious signs to make the team? I suspect that a group of girls religious enough to go to court over this is unlikely to take too kindly to a teammate who didn't want to go along with it, and if the school allowed it, it's an implicit endorsement.

PallMall:Joe Blowme: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

So where is the violation?

You passed right over it.

I am unfamilar with this new law congress passed? Can you give a link? I'd like to see how it was voted on and why Obama signed it.

Cheron:Joe Blowme: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

So where is the violation?

Wow you come to a religion thread try twice and fail to troll. Not even a 0/10

Should they run any slogan against all religious texts of all time to make sure they in no way reference religion?

No, that would also violate the establishment clause. The government is supposed to be silent with respect to religion.

If the cheerleaders were fans sitting in the stands who brought their own home written signs to the game, there would be no problem. The problem is that as cheerleaders for the team, their actions can be viewed as endorsed by the school, and thus the government.

When are these farking morons ever going to learn? A public HS football game is an officially sponsored school event conducted on public property. The courts have been unequivocal about this: Not no, but hell no!

If the cheerleaders want to talk about Jesus while they are blowing football players in the back seats of cars, that's their right. But keep both activities away from the school please. It really isn't hard. Making a public show of loving Jesus does not a better Christian make. In fact, Jesus spoke against public displays of piety.

Suggested passage:"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward."